Advancing IDEAs: Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, 1 October 2024

The following post is one in a regular series on issues of Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility, compiled by a team of OCLC contributors.

Woman in colorful dress with her face painted smiles into the camera while marching in a parade.
Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, photograph by Carol M. Highsmith [LC-DIG-highsm-20611]. Image is in the public domain.

Changes to Title II, and impact on libraries 

On 24 April 2024, the United States Department of Justice published a final rule updating the regulations for Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). This rule emphasizes the need for web content and mobile applications provided by state and local governments, including public higher education institutions, to be accessible to people with disabilities. This rule change will affect several aspects of higher education online resources, including registration systems, online learning platforms, financial aid information, websites, among other services. Public higher education institutions must ensure compatibility with WCAG 2.1 Level AA standards for screen readers, alt text for images and making interactive elements accessible. This can include course materials and library resources. Institutions have two to three years to improve access in all digital spaces across campus, depending on the size of the community served by the institution. 24 April 2026 is the earliest date (two years after the ruling) when changes must be implemented. 

In a conversation with UX (User Experience) Librarian and Library Assessment colleagues recently, I learned that library staff are being called on to serve as university representatives on accessible web design by sitting on task forces and consulting with departments. While I find it encouraging that universities are acting on this mandate well before the April 2026 deadline, I know that accessible design and accessibility testing are not a one-person job and require marshalling resources far beyond UX. Working with students with disabilities is a meaningful way to engage in real change. I encourage my colleagues out there searching for support and buy-in to find student associations on their campus that can assist with design and test prototypes along the way. Not only do they have the most to gain, resources for designing for cognitive or learning disabilities can be lacking. Testers may be even better in instances like this. Contributed by Lesley A. Langa. 

Readings related to National Hispanic Heritage Month 

In the United States, National Hispanic Heritage Month is commemorated from 15 September through 15 October. That period covers the independence days of Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua on 15 September; of Mexico on 16 September; and of Chile on 18 September; as well as Indigenous Peoples’ Day, Día de la Raza on 12 October. For the 2024 celebration, Washington State’s Seattle Public Library (OCLC Symbol: UOK) has compiled two timely reading lists.  “Hispanic Heritage Month 2024: Recent Fiction for Adults” features twenty-nine novels and story collections published in 2023 or 2024. The companion list, “Latine/Latinx Nonfiction” consists of twenty-five histories, memoirs, and poetry collections. 

There are authors that are familiar, as well as new to me on the fiction list. The genres are as varied as the Hispanic world itself, from a compilation of translated Latin American horror stories to a fictionalized history of the construction of the Panama Canal to a Victorian-era historical romance. The nonfiction titles include the autobiography of dancer and actor Chita Rivera, Juan González’s history of Latinos in America, and the graphic memoir of artist and illustrator Edel Rodriguez. Contributed by Jay Weitz. 

Implementing DEI in stages for success 

Ella F. Washington’s article, “The Five Stages of DEI Maturity” (November-December 2022 issue of Harvard Business Review), outlines five stages companies usually follow when incorporating DEI programs: aware, compliant, tactical, integrated, and sustainable. Washington describes how “a typical journey through these stages includes connecting top-down strategy and bottom-up initiatives around DEI, developing and organization-wide culture of inclusion, and ultimately, creating equity in both policy and practice.” The author provides a description with examples of each stage, noting that in a 2022 survey almost one-third of companies were in the compliant stage and can become stuck in this stage without a change in organizational culture. 

I read this article a while ago and rediscovered it through a citation in another article. Washington’s article was exactly what I needed that day, as I think about DEIA in my work goals for the coming year. At the integrated stage, an organization asks what structures to create for sustainable efforts and challenges existing practices. This requires buy-in from the entire organization. As one person in a large organization, I need to integrate my work with others across the organization to create sustainable DEI programs. Understanding this gives me focus and reminds me that DEI is everyone’s work. Contributed by Kate James.